RELATION BETWEEN Candida SPECIES ISOLATED FROM VAGINAL MUCOSA AND LESIONS CAUSED BY HIGH-RISK HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS FOR CERVICAL CANCER

Abstract

This study characterized and related yeasts of the genus Candida isolated from vaginal mucous membranes of women with lesions caused by high-risk human Papillomavirus (HPV) for cervical cancer. Forty-two women treated at the Lower Genital Tract Pathology Clinic of the University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital of Clinics were examined, with 30 high-grade (G1) uterine lesions with a mean age of 36.5 years ± 11. 1 and 12 with low grade (G2) uterine lesions with a mean age of 34.7 years ± 15.5. Clinical conditions and laboratory data on HPV were collected from patients’ medical records; the socio-demographic data obtained from an appropriate questionnaire. For the study of association between the variables, Odds Ratio analysis was used from the STATA 13.1 program. Patients G1 had a higher prevalence for diabetes and the results indicated 27% prevalence of Candida spp. in vaginal mucosa, in G2 this was 33% in vaginal mucosa. Among the species found in vaginal mucosa of patients, Candida albicans was the most isolated with 88%, followed by C. tropicalis (8%) and C. glabrata (4%). The strains of C. albicans isolated from mucosa presented sensitivity to all antifungal agents tested, unlike the C. tropicalis strain isolated in G2 in vaginal mucosa, which presented a resistance profile to fluconazole. Thus, monitoring and supervision through clinical and laboratory testing of HPV patients is important, reinforcing the need for care, treatment and prevention of HPV-related infections and Candida spp.